This invention relates to a method of knitting stockings on a circular knitting machine whose needle cylinder can be either rotatably or reciprocatorily driven. In a known method of this type described in DE-OS No. 28 25 864, narrowing and widening is carried out by deactivating and activating, respectively, one needle at the beginning of each row knitted in the reciprocating mode. This results in rather large openings along the narrowing and widening boundaries, such openings frequently causing the knitted fabric to tear and moreover impairing the appearance of the stocking.
It is an object of the invention to remedy this drawback by forming smaller and more uniform openings along the narrowing and widening boundaries.
This object is attained by a method for knitting stockings on a circular knitting machine, said machine having a needle cylinder drivable either in a rotational or in a reciprocating mode, wherein in the reciprocating mode knitting is carried out with multiple feeds, the needles are retracted in their rest positions to be raised solely by means of jacks, and a heel cup is formed by initially narrowing and subsequently widening one needle at the beginning of each reciprocating stroke, in which a further needle is narrowed, or widened, respectively, at the end of each reciprocating stroke.
Application of the method according to the invention results in the formation of smaller and more uniform openings, and thus in a reduction of the tendency of tears to occur, together with improved appearance.